I observed Rahul Gandhi for my ‘Raajneeti’ role: Arjun Rampal (Interview)

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MUMBAI - Wearing Reebok or Nike shoes with the customary white kurta-pyjama… one of the “small, small elements” that Arjun Rampal says he picked up from observing young, educated politicians like Rahul Gandhi and Sachin Pilot for his role in the much-awaited “Raajneeti”.

Rampal, who seems to be on a roll after “Rock On” for which he got the National Award and hits like “Om Shanti Om”, says his role in “Raajneeti” is similar to that of Bhim in the epic Mahabharata.

“I have observed many politicians especially young guys like Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora, Rahul Gandhi as well as the young Rajiv Gandhi and the young Sanjay Gandhi. You see them to know how they moved and what their body languages were. You don’t really copy or emulate them. In this film, we are all educated politicians,” Arjun told IANS in an interview.

“When you see them you get a glimpse of how politicians have changed. There are things to observe like when they (young politicians) sport Reebok or Nike shoes with white kurta and pyjama while campaigning. These are the small, small elements that I tried picking up from them for my character.”

Giving a peek into his new film that releases June 4 and focuses on how a handful of people control the destiny of millions, Arjun said “Raajneeti”, directed by Prakash Jha, does not preach politics.

“The film is more about what happens behind close doors? It’s more of a political family drama.”

The characters of Ajay Devgn, Ranbir Kapoor, Manoj Bajpai, Katrina Kaif, Sarah Thompson, Naseeruddin Shah and Nana Patekar are loosely inspired by those in the epic Mahabharata.

Arjun said: “Prakash came to me five years ago with the script of ‘Raajneeti’. He discussed how he wanted to make it almost like Mahabharata by taking certain characters from the epic and putting them into the political backdrop of the film. He wanted me to play the character of Bhim. I liked the idea.

“He disappeared for five years and then he called me back. I read the script and started working out how the character would be.

“He (Arjun’s character Prithiviraj Pratap) is a person with big heart and wants to achieve something fast in life. He is aggressive. He is a person who sees either black or white. If he likes something, he loves it. If he dislikes something, he hates it. So he would be on that level of extremes. He goes through gamut of emotions. And he has a very good sense of politics.”

According to Arjun, every character in “Raajneeti” is indispensable.

“He (Prakash Jha) has not done injustice to any of the characters. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle. If you remove one, the film would fall apart. Everyone has got almost equal screen time.”

In real life, however, Arjun says he lacks the built-in quality to be a true politician and would not try his luck in politics.

“You really need a different kind of qualities to be a politician. I don’t think that I have those qualities, but, yes, if there is an issue, I will voice it.”

In last few years, Arjun has featured in hits like “Don” (2006), “Om Shanti Om”(2007), “The Last Lear” (2007), “Rock On!” (2008) and “Housefull”(2010).

“I have been choosing the work I would like to do and luckily the choices are working.”

(Dibyojyoti Baksi can be contacted at dibyojyoti.b@ians.in)